Creeper



s. s. sMrrH CREEPER Dec. 13, 1955 w mm. SN. 5.18 0 ;M 0 m 4 SW a M Jz w., F 0 4 Jz| a. w Lg 6 w 4 6 2 mF United States Patent :O

'CREEPER Sherman S. Smith, Grants Pass, Oreg. Application October 1, 1953, Serial No. 383,469

2 Claims. (Cl. 36-16) This invention relates to a creeper and more specifically provides an auxiliary sole to be removably secured to an existing boot or shoe.

An object of this invention is to provide a creeper for attachment to a shoe or boot wheren the creeper is provided with a plurality of pointed projections or calks on the bottom surface thereof for engaging a surface, thereby giving adequate traction for movement of a person over a slippery surface.

Another object of this invention is to provide a creeper in the nature of an auxiliary sole made of an integral elastic and flexible rubber-like material with upstanding members on the upper surface thereof about the periphery for positioning the auxiliary sole on a boot or shoe.

A further object of this invention is to provide a creeper having upstanding projections thereon with loop members at the upper ends of the projections and a string or thong passing therethrough and laced over the boot for securing the boot to the creeper.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide an auxiliary sole for a boot wheren two elongated upstanding members are secured to the heel of the device on opposite sides thereof and pivotally secure an ankle strap at their upper ends for securing the auxiliary sole to the boot.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a creeper in the nature of an auxiliary sole having removable calks thereon and upstanding members embedded therein wheren the upstanding members are spaced about the periphery of the sole on the upper surface thereof for positioning and securing the creeper to a boot or shoe.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wheren like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the creeper of this invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the creeper of this invention showing the device attached to a conventional boot which is shown in phantom;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal, vertical section taken substantially along section line 3 3 of Figure 1 showing details of the construction of the creeper;

Figure 4 is a perspective detail view showing one of the upstanding members; and

Figure 5 is a detail perspective view showing one of the calks and the securing means therefor.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, it will be seen that the numeral generally designates the creeper of this invention for attachment to a conventional shoe or boot shown in phantom in Figure 2 and generally indicated by the numeral 12.

The creeper 10 includes an elongated plate 14 of flexible rubber-like material having a shape generally conforming to a conventional shoe or boot sole and the plate 14 is in the nature of an auxiliary sole. Embedded in the upper surface of the plate 14 are a pluralty of nuts 16 which ice are internally threaded and a pointed calk 18 having a shank portion 20 with a threaded upper end portion is postioned in suitable apertures in the plate 14 for engaging each of the nuts 16 wheren the calks 18 are secured to the plate 14 in a detachable manner. It will be seen that the calks 18 are spaced throughout the entire area of the lower surface of the plate, thereby forming an efiicient and effective anti-slipping device.

Upstanding members 22 have an offset circular lower end portion 24 and a loop eye 26 at their upper end, with the lower end 24 embedded in the plate 14. It will be seen that the upstanding members 22 are spaced about the periphery of the plate 14 and project from the upper surface thereof, with the looped eye portions 26 generally facing outwardly.

Two elongated upstanding members 28 are secured in the same manner as the upstanding members 26 with one of the members 28 disposed on each side of the heel of the plate 14, and the upper eye loop 30 receves a rivet 32 which pivotally secures an ankle strap 34 thereto having a series of apertures 36 and a buckle 38 wheren the ankle strap is adjustable in a conventional manner. A lace or thong 40 is threaded through the eye loops 26 and crisscrosses over the shoe 12 and interengages with the loops 26 in any conventional manner for securing the shoe 12 to the plate 14. The thong 40 may be made of any suitable material, and tied, as generally indicated by the numeral 42, in order to securely maintain the plate 14 on the shoe 12.

The operation of the device will be readily understood. With the ankle Strap 34 and the thong 40 loosened, the boot 12 may be placed on the plate 14 and the ankle strap secured and the thong 40 laced and tied, and the device is now in position for use and a person may walk on any slippery surface and be assured of an adequate traction. In practical construction, the ankle Strap 34 may be made of leather, canvas, a form of plastic or nylon or a combination of any of the above. The thong or string could also be made of suitable leather or nylon, or a combination of the above. The particular method of lacing the thong 40 to the shoe or boot may be varied as desired by the individual, and it will be noted that the calks may be renewed.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to' be unnecessary. However, since numerons modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, and accordingly, all, suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended clams.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A creeper attachment for shoes comprising an elongated fiexible plate of generally the same Shape as a shoe sole, a plurality of projecting pointed members on one side of said plate, a plurality of peripherally spaced upstanding members projecting from the other side of said plate adjacent the outer periphery thereof for forming a guide for positioning the creeper on a shoe, and means securing said plate to a shoe by engaging each of said upstanding members in a horizontal plane and criss-crossing over the shoe, said upstanding members including an offset end portion embedded in said plate, an eye loop at the upper end of each of said upstanding members, and a string threaded through said eye loops, said string criss-crossing over a shoe and looping under the horizontal portion of the string wheren said plate is secured to a shoe.

2. A creeper attachment for shoes comprising an elongated flexible plate of generally the same shape as a shoe sole, a plurality of projecting pointed members on one side of said plate, a plurality of peripherally spaced upstanding members projecting from the other side of said plate adjacent the outer periphery thereof for forming a guide for positioning the creeper on a shoe, and means securing said plate to a shoe by engaging each of said upstanding members in a horizontal plane and criss-crossing over the shoe, said upstanding members including an offset end portion embedded in said plate, an eye loop at the upper end of each of said upstanding members, and a string threaded through said eye loops, said string criss-crossing over a shoe and loopng under the horizontal portion of the string wherein said plate is secured to a shoe, said plate being constructed of a flexible unitary rubber-like sheet of material and two of said upstanding members being elongated and being 15 i i 4 v pvotally attaehed to an adjustable ankle strap for retaining saidrcreeper on a shoe, said ankle strap being attached by a rivet extending through the eye loop at the upper end of the elongated upstanding members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 442,003 Armstrong Dec. 2, 1890 2,235,774 Pierce e Mar. 18, 1941 10 2399,88 Kalnitz May 7, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS 110,731 Switzerland Aug. l, 1925 121,108 Great Britain Dec. 5, 1918 311,791 Italy Oct. 11, 1933 

